NOVEL WEB Chapter 2
“Senior, it feels like IF-017 is staring at us over here?”
One brown-haired woman with an impressively broad aura.
“It’s a coincidence. You know the glass in the quarantine room just looks like a wall from inside.”
A black-haired woman who looks exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes.
Just these two people.
Do modern priest robes really look this bizarre?
If I didn’t remember my human life, I probably wouldn’t even know that those outfits are called ‘lab coats.’
And even if I did, what that name actually means is kinda hazy… but I’m sure it’ll come back to me eventually.
Hmm.
The black-haired one looks like she’s struggling to stand—something about her resonates with me.
When you’re tired, your brain doesn’t work right. I know that all too well.
So maybe I should leave the explaining to the brown-haired lady.
I fix her with a meaningful stare, silently urging her to explain already.
Like, c’mon, hurry up and tell me what’s going on!
“Wow, it’s like looking at a jewel… no, wait! Oh no, we made eye contact just now?!”
“Stop wasting time chatting and start documenting! This is the first time IF-017 has shown awareness, so there’s a metric ton of new phenomena to record.”
I’ve been ignored.
I watch the white-coated women as they chatter amongst themselves, feeling confused.
Could it be… they don’t know?
Nah, no way.
Didn’t I painstakingly teach the Sajejang how to read thoughts? And wasn’t that after countless lessons?
Even lifting my head feels like it could snap my neck, but teaching humans telepathy from scratch would be insane.
It must’ve been passed down, right?
Sajejang promised to ensure the knowledge was carried forward through generations. He was the most capable and trustworthy human, so surely he delivered.
“He seems to perk up every time we talk…”
“Yeah, but even if a bomb went off in here, he wouldn’t hear it. Ugh, why are you making such a fuss when we’re swamped with work?!”
…Was the knowledge passed down properly?
I’ve waited long enough.
These humans keep talking among themselves, showing zero signs of explaining anything to me.
Sigh.
This won’t do.
What’s happening here is embarrassing for a dragon. I’ve helped humanity so much; I shouldn’t be treated this way.
Time to set some rules.
I rotate my body toward the full-length glass window—it took immense effort, but I didn’t show it because showing weakness takes effort too.
Alright, let’s see…
Who’s the current Sajejang?
Sajejang once told me his primary duty was to stay by my side always. Since only these two people are present, one of them must be the current Sajejang.
The black-haired one seems higher-ranking, so she’s probably it.
Good.
I furrow my brow and lock eyes with the black-haired woman.
“This time, you’re looking at senior! Like, with a cute expression…!”
“What the heck is that supposed to mean…? Holy crap. Security, call the security officer! Sound the alarm! Now! Forget ‘friendly,’ this is clearly an anomaly!”
Heh heh.
Now they’re flustered.
Judging by their reaction, they can still read thoughts, even though they seem dead-tired. But apparently, they only listen when I’m angry.
I raise both hands dramatically and shift into a menacing expression.
Time to demonstrate my majesty.
I roar with all the might of a dragon: “GYYYAAOOO!!!”
A sound no mere human could produce!
Isn’t it chilling? Goosebumps everywhere, right?
Back in the day, even the most powerful Sajejangs would bow and grant me everything I wanted upon hearing that roar. They’d even offer rare honey!
…Though, admittedly, my voice sounded a bit weak this time. Must be the sore throat.
Still, humans will soon realize their mistake and treat me with proper respect again. Hmm hmm.
But their reactions were far from what I expected.
Instead of trembling in fear and bowing deeply,
“Aw, it’s so adorable!”
The brown-haired woman gapes like an idiot, waving her arms around.
“…What is this? Was that some kind of reveal? Why isn’t anything happening…?”
Meanwhile, the black-haired woman opens her tightly shut eyes, sighs in relief, and relaxes.
Why is she relieved? She should be terrified!
Are all humans nowadays mentally unhinged?
My confusion grows, especially regarding the black-haired woman’s response, which completely contradicts my expectations.
Figuring they might explain now, I stare at them expectantly, silently transmitting my desire for answers.
I gave them another chance to enlighten me, but then a guy in a black jacket walks in and drags them both away, rendering my efforts meaningless.
No.
After enduring dry eyes and straining to make eye contact, my efforts have been wasted.
Wah wah wah.
All motivation drains from me, and I collapse onto the floor.
At that moment,
With a “BEEP,” the door slides open, and several men in black jackets enter and carry me off somewhere.
Huh?
Ohhh.
Could it be? Am I finally returning to my cozy lake?
I gaze at the black-jacketed man hopefully, my eyes shining with anticipation.
But alas, my hopes are cruelly dashed.
Instead of the lake, I’m taken to a room three times noisier than before, filled with guys whose features look like they were drawn by a drunk artist.
“Alright, everyone here? Let’s begin.”
There, I’m subjected to torment by a strange gray-clad figure who pokes my cheek, shines lights in my face, and waves weird gadgets around.
Why?!
How did my warning to the current Sajejang turn into this ridiculous ordeal where someone’s pinching my cheeks and waving random objects in front of my nose?
My mind reels.
Could modern religious rituals really involve all this nonsense now? Did human culture undergo a massive shift while I zoned out?
This is the worst.
In my utterly drained state, I can’t resist or fight back.
I’m helplessly tormented.
“GYAAAAAAHHH!!”
“Oh wow. What triggered that reaction? Was it this? Or THIS?”
STOP IT! ENOUGH ALREADY!
Please, save me!
[Incident Report] 017-B-1
Compiled by: E, Director of FPL Lab #4
Overview: On ■■■■ year ■ month ■ day at 14:07:14, IF-017 woke up from sleep and stared through the magic mirror in the quarantine room. 37 seconds later, IF-017 suddenly acted up toward the research supervisor who was observing alongside a junior researcher.
Details: IF-017 and the research supervisor were immediately restrained.
IF-017 underwent a physical examination, confirming continued frailty. However, due to unknown reasons, the subject exhibited stress levels immune to sedatives. If this condition persists, serious problems may arise. Immediate action required.
Result: The research supervisor is strongly suspected of secretly bribing IF-017 and has been demoted to Gamma Rank.
The supervisor protested loudly, shouting, “Did I endure 18-hour days for THIS?!” but was ignored.
Although the longstanding issue of IF-017 not reacting to external stimuli persisted, after 5 hours of testing, it was confirmed that the subject can visually penetrate materials with light transmittance as low as 0.005%. Further study of other senses (e.g., auditory) is needed, but Lab #4 has already done its best and failed due to IF-017’s lack of cooperation. Assistance from Labs #2 and #6 has been requested.
Damage Scale: Do we really need to include this?
Notes: The security officer remarked, “Still seems calmer than my cat, so maybe our response was excessive.” Based on complacency towards anomalies, the real person who should’ve been demoted appears to be this one.
(This portion reflects personal opinions of the incident file compiler.)
Question: 5 hours and 43 minutes after the incident, thermal imaging cameras recorded IF-017’s core body temperature spiking to ■■■■°C for 0.07 seconds while curled up in the quarantine room. Likely equipment malfunction, but further verification needed.
Addendum: If you keep submitting reports like this, we’ll have no choice but to cut FPL Lab #4’s budget. While you may not care about funding, the researchers under your supervision certainly do. – Sent from FPL HQ.